The use of traditional recordkeeping procedures can affect the experiences of different patients. The case of Dr. Smith indicates that the absence of modern technological systems continues to affect the quality of services available to different patients. Since the physician intends to work for many years to come, this paper discusses how she can adopt and implement EHR in her practice.
Adopting and Implementing EHR
The presented case indicates that Dr. Smith is currently overwhelmed by the changing needs of her patients. The first step is considering a powerful change initiative that will ensure that all nurses and followers are ready to use modern health technologies effectively. She will also analyze available options, software, and hardware systems in the market. This knowledge will guide her to acquire the right option that can meet the needs of all patients in the 80-mile radius region.
This step will guide her to seek the relevant training and hire a competent technologist to manage the new system. Such a professional should coordinate activities, answer phone calls, and act as the administrative assistant (Coye, 2016). These initiatives will reduce expenses while at the same time streamlining treatment procedures.
Dr. Smith’s Training
According to the studied case, Dr. Smith lacks adequate training in EHR. This means that she might not reap the benefits of technology without adequate training. She can, therefore, consider several ways to work her learning into her current schedule. She will begin identifying the right time for attending EHR classes. She can also acquire a computer with a demo version of the EHR technology. She will be practicing in her own free time to support the implementation process.
She can also acquire notes and handouts to analyze whenever she has the time. She can also coordinate her activities and encourage all followers to be supportive throughout the change implementation phase (Coye, 2016). This approach is essential since it resonates with the idea of continuous learning and can empower Dr. Smith to become a competent provider of health services using modern health technologies.
Key Concerns for Members of Staff
Dr. Smith is planning to introduce EHR in her practice. Her staff is currently comprised of three nurses and a part-time office manager (Knickman & Kovner, 2015). The new proposal will raise various issues for these individuals. The first one is that the introduction of EHR might make it impossible for them to deliver high-quality care and support to the targeted patients. This is possible since they might be not conversant with the proposed medical technologies. Dr. Smith can address this concern by ensuring that they get adequate time to acquire additional training in the use of health information systems. The second issue is that of change resistance.
Any new initiative can result in an objection from members of staff. This challenge requires that the leader prepares the nurses before implementing EHR in her practice (Aziz, 2017). The third concern might arise from the decision to hire a new administrator to support the use of the new EHR. Differences might emerge since this individual will take up the roles of the part-time office manager. Dr. Smith can, therefore, coordinate or dictate how all workers will pursue their duties without any form of conflict.
Conclusion
The above discussion has explained why physicians and practitioners should embrace the power of EHR in their units. They can consider powerful change models to implement such systems. Leaders have to address emerging issues, solve problems, and support the training goals of their followers in order to utilize EHR effectively.
References
Aziz, H. A. (2017). A review of the role of public health informatics in healthcare. Journal of Taibah University Medical Sciences, 12(1), 78-81. Web.
Coye, M. J. (2016). Informatics: The frontier of innovation in health and healthcare. Engineering, 2(1), 37-39. Web.
Knickman, J. R., & Kovner, A. R. (2015). Jonas and Kovner’s health care delivery in the United States (11th ed.). New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.